Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List

Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «L»:

Laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomyLaparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy: A procedure using laparoscopic techniques to remove the uterus (womb) and/or tubes and ovaries through the vagina (birth canal). Laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy is often referred to, more concisely, by its abbreviation: LAVH.
In LAVH, several sm...

Laparoscopic cholecystectomyLaparoscopic cholecystectomy: Removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) by laparoscopy.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed through
several small incisions. The laparoscope, a small thin tube, is put into the abdomen through a tiny cut made just below the navel. The surgeon can then see ...

Laparoscopic stagingLaparoscopic staging: A staging procedure for tumors of the abdomen using laparoscopy in combination with laparoscopic ultrasonography.
The aim of laparoscopic staging is to prevent unnecessary laparotomies and avoid the trauma inherent in open surgery on the abdomen while providing accurate inform...

LaparoscopyLaparoscopy: A type of minimally invasive surgery in which a small incision (cut) is made in the abdominal wall through which an instrument called a laparoscope is inserted to permit structures within the abdomen and pelvis to be seen. The abdominal cavity is distended and made visible by the insti...

LaparotomyLaparotomy: An operation to open the abdomen.
The word "laparotomy" was first used to designate this operation
in 1878 by an English surgeon, Thomas Bryant. The word has an
interesting derivation. It was compounded from Greek roots "lapara"
referring to "the soft parts of the body between the rib...

Large bowelLarge bowel: Another name for the large intestine.
The word "bowel" originated from the Latin "botulus" meaning "sausage."...

Large cell carcinomaLarge cell carcinoma: A group of lung cancers in
which the cells
are large and look abnormal....

Large intestineLarge intestine: Comes after the small intestine.
Large because
it is wider than the small intestine....

Large saphenous veinLarge saphenous vein: The larger of the two saphenous veins, the principal veins that run up the leg superficially (near the surface).
The large saphenous vein goes from the foot all the way up to the saphenous opening, an oval aperture in the broad fascia of the thigh, a fibrous membrane through...

Large-cell lymphomaLarge-cell lymphoma: Cancer of the lymphatic
tissue that is characterized by unusually large cells. See
also lymphoma....

Laribacter hongkongensisLaribacter hongkongensis: A novel type of bacterium first isolated in Hong Kong in 2001 from the blood and empyema (pus in the chest) of a man with alcoholic cirrhosis. Laribacter hongkongensis has been associated with (but not yet proven to cause) community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveler's d...

Laryngeal framework surgeryLaryngeal framework surgery: A surgical technique designed to improve the voice by altering the cartilages of the larynx (the voice box), which houses the vocal folds (the vocal cords) in order to change the position or length of the vocal folds.
Laryngeal framework surgery is also called thyroplas...

Laryngeal nerve palsyLaryngeal nerve palsy: Paralysis of the larynx (voice box)
caused by damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve or its parent
nerve, the vagus nerve, which originates in the brainstem and runs
down to the colon. The recurrent laryngeal nerve supplies the larynx
(voice box). The larynx will be para...